Here's me playing the Recording King Tenor Guitar, running through a song I've just learned the chords to on guitar. I know my cowboy chords on mandolin, which is tuned in the same intervals, but I had to transpose them to the tenor's CGDA tuning. So there's my excuses for my performance.
On to the guitar--I can tell it's a cheap instrument (<$200, barely more than the case I bought for it), but the fact that I bought it at Elderly and got their expert set-up just about fixes any of the cheapness. Action is perfect, frets are perfect, intonation is perfect so far. I've worked my way up the neck a little, and have done the harmonic-vs.-fretted test, and it's in great playing shape. The neck and bridge both look like unfinished walnut, so I might rub some oil on them. My Fishman soundhole humbucker fits nicely, but I've got to see how it sounds. I will probably wait out the 30-day return policy before I drill out the end peg to install the pickup, as well as adding an upper strap button.
While I was at Elderly, I played the two other tenor guitars they had on display, both Blueridges. One was in "Chicago" tuning (basically like a ukulele) and the other was tuned CGDA. It sounded a little warmer, but not 5 times better, which was the price difference.
Time will tell, but if this gels with the overall band sound, I'm going to play this little fucker down to kindling. By then, either the world will have caught on, and I'll have more choices, or I'll get a higher-end model and have a proper pickup installed.
